Australian International Airshow – Avalon 2009

On Friday the 13th, James Carter and myself toured the Australian International Airshow at Avalon. We were hoping to interview a few pilots at the show for our Documentary “Broken Wings” but sadly this was not to be. In recent months, two Pilots had lost there lives in vintage and aerobatic aircraft. One of these Pilots was from Temora, where many of Australia’s Warbirds are hangared. A second Pilot from Victoria also perished and as a result, many from Tyab and surrounding areas also did not attend. As a result, the warbirds collection at Avalon was almost non existent. Only a single Mustang was present, a Harvard and a Nangchang! We did film a section with Jimmy though which made the trip all worth it.

As for the Airshow, it was fantastic to watch. For me, it was the first occasion to attend the industry side of the business. The pavilions were stuffed full of the most amazing technology. I flew in an FA18 Super Hornet simulator which was very cool! There were Companies selling the most incredible products, from servo motors, to complete aircraft avionics. Even though the world economic situation is not great, the trading floor of the pavilions did not seem to suffer too greatly.

The static display of Aircraft was also quite diverse. Many of the larger aircraft were supplied by the USA and included the F-35, F-16, FA18 Super Hornet, C-17, B1B Lancer Bomber, while the Singaporeans displayed some Super Puma Helicopters and their lead in fighter trainer the Pilatus PC-21. The Australians had the FA-18 Hornet, The venerable F111, C130, BAE Hawk, Caribou, Blackhawk Helicopter, Seahawk Helicopter as well as other training  Helicopters. Many of the manufacturers also paraded their latest and greatest aircraft also. Of particular interest to me were the UAV’s (Unmanned Reconnaissance aircraft). There were several really interesting examples to get quite close to.

Flying at Avalon was also pretty amazing. A jet powered sailplane was both graceful and quick in the air. An American stunt pilot by the name of Kent Pietsch enthralled the audience with his trick flying in a 1942 Interstate Cadet. His act was amazing which included an aileron falling off during the middle of his routine, crazy near stalls and sideways flying antics, plus an incredible and successful landing on the roof of a specially prepared car! Other attractions included the B1B Lancer ripping the eardrums out of our heads as it took off, The last public demonstration of both Australia’s F111 and Caribou aircraft. There were many other aircraft flying but these were the highlights for me.

One of the most stirring moments was a tribute to the firefighters and State Emergency Services for their role in the recent Bushfire catastrophe in Victoria. A very long parade of firefighting vehicles drove past the audience accompanied by the aircraft that supported them. This included “Elvis” the Erickson Aircrane (Sikorsky S-64). Collectively they were a sight to see. The finale to the tribute included a demonstration of the water carrying capabilities of these aircraft by dumping a huge load of water onto the tarmac.

The day at Avalon was fantastic but both Jimmy and I did get incredibly sunburnt! Despite being reasonably well prepared and smearing on the  sunscreen, we got nailed by the sun. With not much shade available at the Show it was inevitable. Towards the end of the day, the weather closed in and became quite stormy looking so we ended up leaving early. While we didn’t get everything we came for, it still was a great day though. Thoroughly enjoyed it!